Hyderabad police on Thursday arrested a youth for sending a hoax mail to the Mumbai Police Commissioner about terrorists planning to hijack planes which led to authorities declaring high alert at three airports.

Police said Motaparthi Vamshi Krishna had sent the mail on April 15 in the name of his girlfriend.

The e-mail sent to Mumbai Police stated that she heard six unidentified youths discuss hijacking three flights in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai on Sunday.

Mumbai Police then forwarded the mail to Mumbai Airport Security Group which went on high alert.

After five days, the Task Force unit of Hyderabad police arrested Vamshi Krishna, a 32-year-old transport agent, for sending the mail.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Task Force) Limba Reddy said the mail was sent from a cyber cafe in Madhura Nagar.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that he used to chat with his girlfriend who stays in Chennai. A few days ago, she proposed a trip to Mumbai and Goa.

As Krishna was facing financial problems, he requested her to drop the idea but she insisted.

“Seeking to scuttle the trip, he hatched a plan to make her believe that flights have been cancelled because of high alert at airports,” police said.

He had earlier created a fake flight ticket of April 16 from Chennai to Mumbai and mailed the same to her.